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2026 Australian Open, women's singles final: Match preview and stats
30 Jan 2026

The 2026 Australian Open final is set to be a thrilling rematch of the 2023 showdown, with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka taking on World No. 5 Elena Rybakina.

The match will take place on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park, Australia.

This is Sabalenka's fourth consecutive Australian Open final and Rybakina's third major final appearance.

Ahead of a fierce contest, we look at the preview and stats.

AO semis: Sabalenka breezes past Svitolina; Rybakina edges Pegula
Path to victory

Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-finals.

"I just love this place," she said after her win. "I love this stadium. Every time I'm competing there, I really enjoy my time."

Meanwhile, Rybakina's journey to the final was not as smooth as Sabalenka's.

She overcame Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7) in their semi-final clash.

H2H record and recent meetings
Matchup stats

The head-to-head record between Sabalenka and Rybakina favors the former at 8-6 on the WTA Tour.

However, when it comes to outdoor hard courts, Sabalenka has a slight edge with a 5-4 lead.

Notably, Rybakina has won three of their four championship matches including their last encounter in the 2025 WTA Finals title match where she defeated Sabalenka in straight sets (6-3, 7-6).

Sabalenka's hard-court dominance
Court advantage

Sabalenka has a stellar record on hard courts with all four of her major titles coming on this surface.

As per WTA, she has the best winning percentage (85%) of any active woman in hard-court majors with a 68-12 record.

Despite not having Rybakina's impressive serving numbers, Sabalenka leads all players in Melbourne with 172 winners (Rybakina has 135).

Rybakina's stellar form and serving prowess
Current performance

Rybakina has been in stellar form, winning 19 of her last 20 matches.

This includes a win over Sabalenka in the WTA Finals title match, where she served an impressive 13 aces without getting broken.

The former Wimbledon champion has also won nine straight matches against Top 10 players including straight-set victories over Pegula and Iga Swiatek this week.

Sabalenka will appear in her 8th Slam final (women's singles)
Sabalenka

Sabalenka has reached her 4th successive final at AO.

After winning the title in 2023 and 2024, she went down to Madison Keys last year.

She is 34-6 at the Australian Open.

Overall at Grand Slams, Sabalenka owns a win-loss record of 106-26.

She is vying to win her 5th Grand Slam title in women's singles.

Notably, this is her 8th Slam final. She owns a 4-3 win-loss record in Slam finals.

Rybakina's performance at Grand Slams
Fact

Rybakina is into her 3rd Grand Slam final. She won the 2022 Wimbledon crown before losing to Sabalenka at AO in 2023. Rybakina is 26-6 at AO. Overall at Slams, she owns a 71-22 win-loss record.